General Electric has secured a consolation prize from Asiana Airlines in the shape of additional Boeing 747 and 767 engines, following its recent loss to Pratt & Whitney of a much larger powerplant deal for the Boeing 777 and Airbus Industrie A330.
The deal covers new CF6-80C2 engines for three more 747-400s and two 767-300s ordered by Asiana, along with up to 48 P&W-powered 777s and A330s. The $175 million contract also includes engines for three 747s and two 767s which Asiana has on option.
The South Korean carrier's 747 and 767 engine order did not form part of its wider 777/A330 powerplant competition, and GE was assured of winning the smaller deal. Asiana operates, or has on order, 14 747s and 17 767s, all powered by CF6-80C2B1/2/4/6s .
Despite selecting the rival PW4000 engine series for its new twinjets, Asiana is understood to have made provision to order CFMI CFM56s, should it opt to trade in its A330 options for A340s. It has ordered a total of ten A330-300s and eight -200s and has options for five more of each.
P&W, in the meantime, has confirmed that it has finalised a contract covering engines for the 20 777-200/300s and 28 A330s on order or option with Asiana. The deal, worth an estimated $1 billion, includes PW4090s for the airline's ten 777-200IGWs and PW4098s for ten 777-300s, along with the PW4164 for the A330-200 and the PW4168 for the A330-300.
The widebody airframe order, however, has still not been officially announced by the airline, in the absence of formal approval from Seoul. "We got approval from the Government to purchase 18 Airbus A321s, but the rest of the aircraft are on hold," says Asiana.
nThe South Korean Government has given Asiana the green light to sell 19.02% of its stock to Swiss Bank. Pacific Investment Capital, a Malaysian-based unit of the bank, will buy 13.32 million of 23.4 million Asiana new shares. The move will help raise capital to fund the purchase of aircraft.
Source: Flight International
